Henry McMaster

Governor Roy Cooper is asking the Trump administration to exempt North Carolina from a plan to open more coastal waters to offshore oil drilling. The request follows the decision by the U.S. Department of the Interior to exclude Florida from the drilling proposal, after Governor Rick Scott expressed concern over the effect on his state’s tourism industry.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has signed a new law that closes loopholes in the state's Freedom of Information Act. Meanwhile, the North Carolina House of Representatives remains on track toward getting its state budget bill approved by the end of the week. And, a North Carolina elections worker has been indicted on charges she altered the voter registrations of roughly 250 convicted felons. Here are some of WFAE's afternoon headlines.